Horse-cleaner.



, M. GONNELLY.

HORSE CLEANER.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23,1907.

905,653. Patented 'Dec. 1, 1908.

MICHAEL CONNELLY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HORSE-CLEANER.

Specification er Letters Patent.

Application filed September 23, 1907.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Serial No. 394,081.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL CoNNELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illiextent to facilitate its use.

1101s, have invented new and useful Improvements in Horse-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a strong and substantial cleaning device of simple construction for removing dirt and loose hair from horses and other animals.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning device of this character which can be manufactured at low cost and which is constructed so that it can be used effectively on the legs as well as on the body of a horse and which will yield to a more or less And a still further object is to provide for securing the band to the handle of the cleaning device in a strong and substantial manner which will permit a limited relative movement of these parts to prevent the band from fracturing or wearing at the connection.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the inven tion Figure 1 is a side view of the device. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the shank. Fig. 4 shows the band straightened out and in reduced size.

The invention comprises a band 4 consist ing of a strip of spring steel or other suitable sheet metal bent in the form of a ring and connected to a handle 5. One edge 6 of the band is straight and the other edge 7 is provided opposite the handle with a curved projecting part 8. The ends 9 of the strip forming the band are bent outward parallel with each other and fastened to a flexible shank 10 by a rivet 11 or other suitable fastening device. This shank extends longitudinally through the handle and its outer end is divided into two parts 12 which are bent in opposite directions at right angles to the shank and against the outer end of the handle, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The shank projects into the band between the ends 9 thereof and the inner end of the shank is divided into two parts 13 which are bent in opposite directions to lie close against the band to Which they are fastened by rivets 14. A ferrule 15 is provided on the inner end of the handle 5 to strengthen the same and this ferrule projects beyond the handle and its lips 15 are separated to enable that part of the shank which projects beyond the handle to bend sidewise and thus permit the band to move relative to the handle to a more or lessextent in practice. The object of this provision for a relative movement between the band and the handle is to enable the band to yield somewhat in practice, thereby facilitating the cleaning operation, and also to avoid a rigid connection between these parts which might soon break or wear out under the handling to which a cleaning device of this character is subjected.

The metal strip is thin so that both edges of the band will constantly remain sufficiently sharp to remove the dirt and loose hairs from a horse but at the same time they are not sharp enough to cut in the ordinary use of the device. However, the edges of the band, or one of them, may be sharpened if desired. The handle is arranged angularly with respect to the band, that is to say it rojects obliquely from the plane of the ower edge 6 of the band. This oblique arrangement of the handle is provided to facilitate the use of the device so that the hand of the user may remain in a natural position and in an angular relation to the art of the horse to which the device is app ied during the cleaning operation. I prefer to provide the curved projection 8 on the edge -7 to facilitate the use of the device on the legs and neck of a horse for thereby the device may be readily applied to parts which do not present a broad and expansive surface like the body of a horse.

In practice sufficient pressure is applied to cause the edge of the band to remove the dirt and loose hairs from a horse by a scraping action which does not injure or annoy the horse in any way. The spring metal band and the yielding connection between the band and the handle eases the strain on the wrist of the user and facilitates the use of the device. The manner of securing the handle on the shank by the oppositely bent ends 12 prevents the disengagement of the handle from the shank and holds the parts securely together. The 0 positely bent ends 13 of the shank strengt en the band at the connection with the handle and prevent the band from fracturing or wearing rapidly at the connection. It will be observed also that the dirt removed from the horse will not be retained in the device like in a curry comb but will fall through the band as it is removed from the horse and therefore the device is not subjected to the rough handling to Which a curry comb is ordinarily subjected for the purpose of removing the dirt therefrom.

Instead of serrating the edge of the band in the manner common in the art I make both edges of the band continuous and unbroken so that the cleaner will more effectually remove the dirt from the hide of the animal.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A device for cleaning animals comprising a circular band having a continuous unbroken Working edge with a curved projection thereon, and a handle connected to the band at the side thereof.

2. A device for cleaning animals comprising a circular band, one elge of the band being straight and the other e'ge having a curved projection thereon, and a hande connected to the band at the site thereof.

3. A device for cleaning animals comprising a circular-band, one e ge of the band being straight and the other edge having a curved PI'UJGCtiJIl thereon and both 6.1;;68 being continuous and unbroken, and a hanele cennecte. to the band at the site thereof ana projecting angularly from the band on the e ge thereof having and opposite to sail projection.

4. A cevice for cleaning animals comprising a band, a hanule, and a flexible shank r projecting obliquely from the side of the band and secured in the handle, there being a space between the band and han.'.le which enables the shank to bend and the band to move sidewise relatively to the handle.

5. A device for cleaning animals comprising a band, a handle, a shank connected to the band and extending longitudinally through the handle, the outer end of said shank being divided into two parts and said parts being bent in opposite directions and down upon the end of the handle.

6. A device for cleaning animals comprising a band, a handle, a shank connected to the handle and projecting into the band, said shank being divided into tWo parts at its inner end and said parts being bent in opposite directions against the band and fastened thereto.

7. A device for cleaning animals comprising a band consisting of a strip of metal bent in a circular form, the ends of said strip being bent outwardly from the band and parallel with each other, a handle, a shank arranged between the ends of said strip and secured thereto and to the handle, the inner end of said shank being divided into two parts and said parts being bent in opposite directions to lie against the band, means for fastening said parts to the band, and a ferrule on the inner end of the handle, said ferrule permitting a limited play of the band relative .to the hande.

MICHAEL CONNELLY.

WVitnesses:

WM. 0. BELT, M. A. KIDDIE. 

